During last month’s Awesome Con in Washington DC, I was able to speak with writer Ryan North for a few minutes about his recent work for The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Jughead. Unfortunately a technical glitch prevented the entire interview from recording. The first segment covering his Jughead run can be heard above Continue reading Awesome Con 2017: Ryan North
Actor Adam West, forever associated with his breakout role as Batman, has died following a short battle with leukemia. According to a family statement West died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by loved ones. West was born in Walla Walla, Washington, where he grew up on a ranch. While West had a long career in movies and on TV, he is best known for his iconic portrayal of Batman in the 1960s ABC series and related feature film. West’s performance helped define the show’s trademark pop-art vibe and cheeky tone. There were other Batmans on screen before him, but West’s was the first to become a true cultural force and make a star out its actor. The show only last three seasons but it defined the character in the public’s mind for decades until Tim Burton’s darker vision arrived at the end of the 80s. West, for his part, embraced the lighter tone of the show. According to the family”s statement, West “always saw himself as The Bright Knight and aspired to make a positive impact on his fans’ lives. He was and always will be our hero.”
For more details, see The Hollywood Reporter.
Rest in Peace Adam West
Well, it looks like comic book fans might be spending a fair amount of time in front of the television this August (or whatever type of screen they use for viewing such content). Yesterday Amazon announced that their new Tick series would debut on August 25th, exactly one week after Netflix drops The Defenders. It should provide an entertaining study of contrasts as one of the strengths of last year’s pilot was how gleefully it parodied the grim-dark tone of Netflix’s superheros. No official statement, yet, on the number of episodes, but IMDB lists director credits for seven, so eight, perhaps?
The Tick stars Peter Serafinowicz & Griffin Newman. It will be available through Amazon Prime’s streaming service.
Cheers.
2016 brought an increasing number of comic based programs to television. Josh joins me in discussing a large cross-section of what both worked and did not these past twelve months.
Cosmo: This year, the DC/CW brand continued its bold expansion, launching one new series (Legends of Tomorrow) and annexing a another (Supergirl). Before we get to those, and the Arrowverse’s namesake, let’s begin with what I feel remains the most consistently successful of the CW shows: Flash.
Josh how are you feeling about the series?
No Spoilers
Marvel Studios keeps raising the bar with their Netflix collaborations. Their debut project Daredevil heralded a new sophistication for television superheroes, while the follow-up Jessica Jones proved itself even richer. The second season of Daredevil might not have quite hit the heights of Jessica Jones, but it was still a thrilling experience full of well-drawn characters. Next on future Defenders rooster is Luke Cage, graduating from his reoccurring role on Jones to series lead. Based on the first four episodes, actor Mike Colter is more than capable of anchoring a show which also possesses the same strong ensemble work and high production values which fans have come to expect from the Marvel Studios/Netflix projects. These initial installments indicate that Marvel/Netflix have another triumph on their hands.
Ah, The Tick. For a character first created thirty years ago by Ben Edlund as a newsletter mascot for a comic book store, he has had a quite a career. Darling of independent comics, star of an animated series which ran for three seasons, followed by a live-action version which was on for, well, a less impressive amount of time. Still both series gained The Tick a devoted a cult audience that included non-comic book fans. Last week, The Tick returned to television screens once again as part of Amazon’s latest pilot season. Debuting alongside acclaimed writer/director Jill Soloway’s new project and whatever the hell that Jean-Claude Van Damme series is, The Tick is one of three new shows that the streaming service is considering for full season orders. In accordance to their usual practice they are letting viewers watch and give feedback on the various pilots. Should Amazon order more of The Tick? Based on the pilot, there is a fair amount of potential for the show going forward.
Finally over on the small screen, FX gave fans their first glimpse of the upcoming mutant drama, Legion. The trailer hints at a fair amount of head games, along with explicit references to mutants.
Legion, developed for TV by Noah Hawley, is slated to premiere on FX sometime early 2017.
Cheers
So, it looks like Cosmo will be watching more of Arrow this fall . . .
Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Rory Regan, aka Ragman, will be appearing in the fifth season of the CW’s Arrow. He will be played by Joe Dinicol (Blindspot, Grey’s Anatomy, Betas).
Ragman was created by Robert Kanigher & Joe Kubert for their 1978 series of the same name. While the title only ran 5 issues, it is a classic well-worth reading. Since then Ragman has surfaced occasionally throughout the DCU, most notably headlining a limited-series in the early 90s.
For more, see Entertainment Weekly.
Cheers
The arrival of June brought an extended weekend of camaraderie, live music, movies, drinks, fleetingly awkward interactions with celebrities, and comic books, comic books plus more comic books. Yep, it was Awesome Con time again. Over the next few days, I shall be sharing some of my creator experiences from the convention. First off, though, some photos from the weekend.
Cheers
